This invention concerns two methods of producing a laminated package, in particular a beverage package, with an opening that is closed by a tear-off strip, as well as a laminated package produced by these methods.
Liquid products and highly viscous products with lumpy components are offered today to a great extent in laminated packages. There is often a desire on the part of consumers for laminated packages having a simple, manually functioning opening device in particular. Various types of opening and pouring elements are known, such as screw closures, snap closures, adhesive strip closures or tear-off strips. As a rule, the additional expense associated with attaching such opening and pouring elements substantially increases the cost of the respective laminated package.
The object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive laminated package with an opening closed by a tear-off strip and to provide an inexpensive method of producing such a laminated package.
This object is achieved through the following steps in a first alternative of a generic method:
punching out an opening-in a packaging material,
coating the packaging material at least in the area of the opening,
creating a package sheathing from the coated packaging material,
conveying the package sheathing to a filling machine or to an equipment unit upstream from the filling machine, and
attaching a tear-open strip to the opening in the package sheathing in the filling machine or in the equipment unit upstream from the filling machine.
As an alternative, this object is achieved through the following steps:
punching out an opening in a packaging material,
coating the packaging material at least in the area of the opening,
applying a tear-off strip or a pouring element to the opening in the packaging material in the filling machine or in an equipment unit upstream from the filling machine,
creating a package sheathing from the coated packaging material, and
conveying the package sheathing to a filling machine or to an equipment unit upstream from the filling machine.
Both of the methods according to this invention are characterized in that punching out the opening in the packaging material and applying the tear-off strip or the pouring element to the opening in the packaging material are performed in a proven manufacturing process using a filling machine in an integrated fashion. Due to the integrated or parallel execution, the required process steps for producing an opening closed by a tear-off strip or by a pouring element are carried out essentially without requiring any additional time and thus inexpensively. No separate applicator for the hole punching, no sealing of an internal label and no sealing of the tear-off strip or the pouring element are necessary.
If the filling machine is equipped with a station for sterilization of the laminated package, the tear-off strip or the pouring element should preferably be attached before the sterilization zone.
In the case of a filling machine with a mandrel wheel for sealing the bottom of prefabricated package sheathing, it is also advantageous if the tear-off strip is mounted on a mandrel of the mandrel wheel. In this case, the mandrel is used as an anvil. This is advantageous in particular when the tear-off strip is attached by ultrasonic welding or high-frequency welding. As an alternative, the tear-off strip may also be attached by gluing.
A favorable possible application for the tear-off strip or the pouring element is also obtained when the package sheathing is fed to the filling machine in such a way that its opening points toward the outside across the working direction of the filling machine.
According to another advantageous embodiment of the method according to this invention, the respective package sheathing may be rotated about its longitudinal axis by approximately 90xc2x0 between a magazine for accommodating prefabricated package sheathing on the filling machine and the location where the tear-off strip or the pouring element is attached.
Additional advantageous features of the method according to this invention are characterized in the subordinate claims.